My Repairs

There are some basic repairs for which you are responsible and we expect you to do as part of the maintenance and upkeep of your home. Before reporting your repair take a minute to check whether the repair is your responsibility or ours.

We are responsible for:

• Ensuring your home is secure, structurally sound and weather-tight
• Any communal areas
• Fixtures and fittings we have installed
• Maintaining hot and cold water supply systems
• Maintaining windows and doors, gutters and drains
• All gas pipes, heating systems, electric wiring, power and light fittings
• Any items we originally provided that are not listed as being your responsibility

You are responsible for:

• Keeping your home and garden clean and tidy
• Letting us know if you notice a repair is needed for which we are responsible
• Repairing, maintaining and fitting an appliance you have installed
• Allowing us into your home to carry out repairs, safety checks and inspections – this is particularly important when it involves the annual gas, solid fuel and oil servicing and safety checks
• All painting and decorating inside your home
• Preventing pipes from freezing or bursting
• Preventing and controlling condensation
• Draught proofing
• Curtain rails, washing lines and door bells
• Minor adjustments to kitchen units, cupboards and drawers
• Cleaning extractor fans
• Wall and floor tiles
• Fixing toilet seats
• Bleeding radiators
• Replacing glass in windows and doors unless the damage was vandalism reported to the police (always remember to seek a crime number)
• Resetting electrical trip switches
• Replacing plugs and chains on baths, basins and sinks
• Replacing keys or locks
• Replacing light bulbs, plugs and fuses to your appliances
• Dealing with pests (your local authority may be able to help with this)
• Clearing blockages in basins, sinks, baths and toilets

Yes! We have the ability to make morning and afternoon appointments which we will endeavour to make at a time and date that is convenient to you and us.

We’ll ask you to pay for repairs that are not due to fair wear and tear, and usually relate to damage. These are classed as ‘rechargeable repairs’, applicable throughout your occupancy up the point that your tenancy ends. This is usually if you, your friends or family have caused accidental or deliberate damage to your home, or any communal areas arising from neglect of misuse.

We will repair the damage, but seek to recover the cost from you.

Examples of repairs that are rechargeable include, but are not limited to:

• Broken toilet pan, bath or wash hand basin
• Blocked toilet if caused due to negligence
• Blocked drains if caused due to negligence
• Damage to internal fixtures and fittings if due to negligence
• Replacement of fixtures and fittings that you have removed or altered
• Replacement of lost keys to radiator valves, window locks and doors
• Making safe/re-glazing windows that have been broken where no crime number has been provided
• Clearing furniture and general refuse left behind when a property becomes void
• Clearing and reinstating garden area when a property becomes void.

If you fix the damage yourself, but it’s not up to our standard we may also charge you for the costs of us putting it right.

We work with highly skilled tradespeople to carry out our repair work, so you can relax in the knowledge that your repair will be done to a professional standard.

All of our sub-contractors are carefully vetted to meet our service standards and work in close partnership with our 54North Homes property services team.

If you lose your key and call us to attend as an emergency repair visit, then you will be required to pay for the cost of gaining access, changing the lock and new keys. This is usually more than £100 – so please be careful with your keys!